How did Miami get like this? NFL week 13

It’s too soon to call, but this could be an end of an era.

I’m not speaking about Brett Farve, who went down last night with elbow and shoulder injuries, but about the Miami Dolphins.

There has not been a team to go winless in the NFL since 1978, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to lose something like 22 games in a row, leaving a legacy of futility that has since been approached by just a scant few.

But that was then, before the age of parity. Now, it’s the age of “any given Sunday”, when any team can beat any other.

Look at the standings in the NFL right now and ask yourself how Miami is supposed to happen. In this age of parity, no one team is supposed to go and dominate – or be dominated. That’s why there are so many teams that are 5-6 or 6-5.

It’s partially why no team has gone undefeated and partially why no team has gone winless.

So why are the Dolphins so bad? What is making their team fall apart the way it is?

Well, it’s a dastardly mix of bad planning and bad play with a few lumps of bad luck mixed in.

In 2005, when San Diego put Drew Brees after he suffered a major injury on the open market, the Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints where the two frontrunners.

The Saints got Brees, the Dolphins went with another injured QB who was looking to rebound: Dante Culpepper, who had basically destroyed his knee the season before.

Brees went on to throw for 26 touchdowns, over 4000 yards and for a QB rating of 96.2, his second highest ever, winning comeback player of the year in the process.

Culpepper spent most of the season on the bench as he recovered, playing just four games before fleeing for Oakland. In those, he threw for two touchdowns, a little over 900 yards, by far his lowest totals ever.

By passing on Brees, the Dolphins missed out on a great quarterback and still have issues at the position.

Even this year, it’s impact can still be felt. When Culpepper left, the Dolphins jumped on a trade for Chief’s QB Trent Green, a player who was the odd man out in Kansas City and was supposedly a few days away from being on waivers.

Sure, the Dolphins could have waited and missed out. But by jumping on the trade, one that cost them a fifth round pick, they committed themselves to a 37 year old QB who was coming off a catastrophic concussion.

And, to put it lightly, he was a spectacular failure at QB, passing for five touchdowns and seven interceptions while losing his first four games before suffering another, possibly career-ending concussion.

So, the onus for winning then fell almost squarely on the quarterback, a young man named Cleo Lemon. For five games, he played poorly. Despite throwing for over 1,000 yards and for three touchdowns, he was picked off four times, sacked 10 and completed just 58 per cent of his passes.

The man who replaced Lemon, John Beck, has been even less remarkable, completing just above 50 per cent of his passes and has yet to throw a touchdown.

However, it would be unfair to blame the quarterbacks for this season.

After all, Green wasn’t the only Dolphin to suffer an injury. Running back Ronnie Brown, the lone bright spot for the Dolphins, tore his ACL in October. His replacements, Lorenzo Booker, Patrick Cobbs and Jesse Chatman have all been unremarkable, with just two touchdowns between them since week seven.

Ricky Williams, who could have stepped into Miami and helped to take some of the load away from the receivers and quarterback, was injured in his first game and is gone for the season.

Even the receiving corps for the Dolphins has been depleted. Current team leader in receiving yards, Chris Chambers, was traded to San Diego on October 16 (so, after being away from the Dolphins for over an month, he’s still the leader).

Nobody has emerged as a clear number one receiver for the Dolphins since. While Marty Booker has approached Chambers numbers, he has yet to reach the end zone since week seven or the 400 yard mark.

However, the Dolphins have had some success this season. Kicker Jay Feely has missed only field goals all season. And their defence isn’t too bad, either.

In yards per game, the Dolphins are 16th overall – ahead of Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland, teams that are still competing for a playoff spot. They’re third overall in passing yards allowed – ahead of New England, even.

But against the run, they stink – they’re 30th overall. And they’ve had 277 points scored against them, 27th in the league.

As they head into the last few weeks of the season, the Dolphins have a serious chance of running the table, and finishing without a win. They still have to face both the Patriots and the Bills on the road, and have a home game against the Ravens.

They also have to play the Bengals and the Jets, too. If they are going to get a win, look for it to come against either of these teams.

And look for the Patriots game on week 16. Never before has a team with 15 wins played a team zero wins.

Shakedown on Bay Street

“Pretty soon now, will be a quitter.

Pretty soon now, I will be bitter.

You can't see it 'til it's finished.”
- Talking Heads, Artists Only

There’s trouble brewing in the downtown, and it’s not pretty. The Leafs are a team in trouble. On the ice, they’re underachieving and losing whatever steam they had fast.

Granted, they managed to not just beat, but to shut out, Ottawa, one of the best teams in the NHL. But they followed that up with two bad losses, one to Dallas on Friday and one to Phoenix on Saturday.

But you know what? That’s not even the worst part of it.

Not that I want to sound like an apologist, but both Dallas and Phoenix are good teams. The Stars are second in the West right now and the recent addition of Ilya Bryzgalov has put Phoenix in position to make a playoff run.

No, it’s their front office that’s in shambles right now. It’s a power struggle, the classic end-game scenario that plays out every so often.

Right now, John Ferguson Jr. is blaming Paul Maurice for the Leafs problems and tried to fire him over it. But Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment overruled him. Maurice is a company guy, somebody they brought up through the ranks. Remember, he’s only a few years removed from coaching the Marlies.

No, it’s JFJ who seems to be on the firing line, and with good reason. During his term as GM for the Leafs, he has overseen numerous great deals that have helped to push the Leafs to just above .500.

Deals that have seen first round picks fly away. Deals that have brought in such star players as Mark Bell. Deals that have seen valued prospects – such as current Bruins goalie Tukka Rask – leave, replaced by people who aren’t playing up to par.

Deals that have seen the Leafs fall from the playoffs, and into the cellar.

Perhaps they learn their lesson a bit late, but MLSE does learn. And when they do, they take out on the GM, sometimes cruelly.

This is what they did to Ron Babcock not too long ago. The then-GM of the Toronto Raptors, Babcock was first stripped of his power, and then marginalized and terminated when the Raptors brought in Wayne Embry.

Babcock has since disappeared from the ranks of General Managers in the NBA.

So, is this what it happening with JFJ right now? Are the Leafs preparing to ‘clean house’?

While on one hand, it certainly looks like it.

But on the other, why should they do it now? Who else is there to replace him?

The Raptors managed to secure Bryan Colangelo from Phoenix, a stroke of genius, when the Suns cut him loose.

But there are no Colangelos on the horizon in the NHL. The best-qualified candidate was rumoured to be Scotty Bowman, who was widely said to have rejected the offer right up.

Also rumored are Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman or Ron Francis, all of whom have exactly zero experience as a GM.

Would they do any better? Maybe. They have no experience, but Garth Snow has done a good job without any in New York.

Does that mean that the Leafs should change GMs in the middle of the season?

Yes.

The Leafs need a shakeup, and firing JFJ is less disruptive then firing Maurice, who remains a capable coach. After all, JFJ has had numerous chances to prove himself as a GM but has yet to succeed.

It’s time for a change in Toronto. End power struggle now, before it derails the team’s season any further.

Out for blood - NFL Week 12

Ok, so it’s official. Tom Brady, Bill Belicheck, et al are out for blood. And why shouldn’t they be – they’ve been slighted, been called cheaters, been called poor sports – mercy me, they ran up the score.

But you know, that’s what they do. Winners don’t go out and play to the level of their opponents; they go out and play as hard as they can, day in and day out.

That’s why the Montreal Canadiens won all those games in the late 1970s. That’s why nobody could handle Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 1997.

That’s why the Steelers lost last week and it’s also why nobody can stop the Patriots now.

For too long, Tom Brady has been told he’s a great quarterback – just as good as Payton Manning, perhaps. Receivers looked great when they played with him, not the other way around. And often enough, those same receivers would not look as good on another team.

Okay, so maybe it’s the system Brady plays under. Maybe it’s the coaching.

But maybe it’s because Brady is so good, he lifts those around him.

It would explain this season. Randy Moss came to New England looking like he was washed up, traded away for a draft pick.

While stranded in Oakland for two years, he had just 11 touchdowns and a little over 1,500 yards recieving.

This season alone, he has over 1,000 yards receiving and 16 Touchdowns.

This is what Brady can do with some talent around him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that players like Deion Branch are untalented – but Brady has never had a singular talent like Moss. Thanks to him, the Patriots have the league’s best offence.

Just this year alone, it’s averaging over 430 yards a game – 300 of them passing - and have over 400 points, leading the league. These are both improvements from last year.

But that’s only half of the game. The Patriots defence has also played exceptionally well. They’re third in points allowed (270), fourth in points allowed per game (15.7) an within the top ten for rushing and passing yards allowed.

They’re getting the job done. They shut down the other team, often early in games. But most importantly – they never give up.

And why should they? After all, they’re out for blood.

How the Argos lost - Notes on the 07 East Final

Nobody thought it would end like this – but nobody foresaw the Argonaut’s fingers seemingly coated in butter, either.
Yes, the Toronto Argonauts, who entered the playoffs winning their last seven games in a row, lost decisively to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a game marred by turnovers – some three on each side.
As the fourth quarter started, with the Bombers inside the Argo 10 yard line, it looked as if the Bombers were going to try and wrap things up. After all, they led 19 – 1; the game was theirs to lose.
But when Bomber QB Kevin Glenn hurt his arm in the fourth while diving on a loose ball, the momentum shifted, significantly, to the battered Argos.
One monster pass to Arlen Bruce III later, and the game, the Argos and even the fans, roared back to life.
Michael Bishop showed off his powerful throwing arm, driving the Argos some 92 yards to their first touchdown of the game with some long, precise passes, capped off with his own quarterback sneak for the major.
As reserve quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie came in for the Bombers, the Argo fans were on their feet and screaming.
It seemed a lot like the inverse of the last Eastern Final played in the Rogers Centre in 2005. In that game, the Argos led throughout the first half, only to collapse to Montreal – and in particular, to QB Anthony Calvillo – in the second, losing 33-17.
“All of a sudden, this isn’t the Rogers Centre - this is the noise dome,” said CBC’s Steve Armitage.
But Dinwiddie pulled it out. Airing the ball, and running down the clock, he wore down the Toronto defence with long passes. A touchdown pass to Edwards sealed the victory for the Bombers.
Or did it? The ref on the field had to check it out – and then went to the booth for a review. And it was overturned.
And then the Argos grabbed another fumble in their own end.
“Are you kidding me,” shouted CBC’s colour commentator Khari Jones. “That’s their third fumble today!
“They should be blowing the Argos out!”
But Toronto’s ball-handling woes continued, as their receivers dropped passes that would have brought the Argos deep into Winnipeg territory.
Winnipeg’s smothering defence kept the Argos out of the game, clogging the secondary and keeping Bishop under pressure – including a huge sack late in the fourth.
It was an incomplete pass, late in the fourth that sealed it – although, with less then two minutes to play, what could the Argos have done? They would have needed a touchdown, then a field goal – just to tie.
Nonetheless, the Bombers prevailed. They limited the Argos to just 31 rushing yards and keeping the Argo offense smothered, like a heavy blanket put on a fire, for three quarters.
“We played them well all year,” said Winnipeg running back Charles Roberts.
“We took it upon ourselves to come out here and prove them wrong.”
And so, what an upset it was. The Bombers were seven underdogs going into this game, but they played like 14 point favourites. They ran the ball, they passed the ball and they, most importantly, stopped the Argos from doing likewise.
Simply put, they played like champs.
And in the end, that was the only thing that mattered.